Clasp for jewelry



Dec. 26, 1967 s. GELDWERTH 3,359,606

CLASP FOR JEWELRY Original Filed June 15, 1965 Ja q? 70 F IG. 2 Fl 6. 3

FIG. 9

INVENTOR SIMON GELDWBRTH United States Patent 3,359,606 CLASP FOR JEWELRY Simon Geldwerth, 1434 57th St., Brooklyn, N.Y. 11219 Original application June 15, 1965, Ser. No. 464,002, now Patent No. 3,308,517, dated Mar. 14, 1967. Divided and this application Sept. 19, 1966, Ser. No. 593,622

10 Claims. (Cl. 24-230) This application is a division of my co-pending application, Ser. No. 464,002, filed June 15, 1965, now Patent No. 3,308,517, for Clasp for Jewelry.

This invention relates to articles of jewelry, and more particularly to improved forms of clasps for ornamental bracelets and the like.

One object of the invention is to provide a jewelry clasp of great simplicity having a keeper and catch, each fabricated from a single stamped blank of sheet metal.

Another object of the invention is to provide a jewelry clasp fabricated from sheet metal stamping wherein the wastage of metal is reduced to a minimum.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a sheet metal jewelry clasp having improved operating characteristics.

The invention will be understood by those skilledin the art after reading the following specification in connection with the annexed drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a blank from which a form of keeper may be produced;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the keeper made from the blank shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevation of the keeper shown in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of a blank from which a catch used with the keeper of FIGURES 1-3 may be produced;

FIGURE 5 is a side elevation of the catch produced from the blank shown in FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a plan view of the keeper of FIGURES I-3 and the catch of FIGURES 4 and 5 in position just just prior to engagement;

FIGURE 7 is a plan view of another form of blank from which a keeper similar to a keeper of FIGURES 1-3 may be produced;

FIGURE 8 is a front elevation of the keeper made from the blank shown in FIGURE 7; and

FIGURE 9 is a side elevation of the keeper shown in FIGURE 8.

A form of clasp is shown in FIGURES 2-9 in which the keeper is designated generally by numeral 66 and the catch is indicated generally by numeral 67. In this case also the keeper is stamped from a single sheet of flat metal as shown in FIGURE 1 so as to provide a rectangular base portion 68 having a forwardly directed guide tongue 69 and a pair of side Walls 70 formed by bending them vertically upwardly along the parallel bending lines 1'. The blank is also formed with a pair of elongated extensions 71 which, when the blank is formed, lie parallel with the side walls and substantially co-extensive in length in one direction but projecting forwardly of the base 68 in the other direction.

The extensions are separated from the side walls by the slits 72 and are connected with the side walls only along the short bending lines j at the forward ends of the side walls. When the extensions are bent inwardly as shown in FIGURES 2 and 20, their ends 71a abut each other at the center of the keeper. This permits a single clasp to be used for a variety of widths of bracelets since the outer ends of the extensions may be cut oil to any desired length.

In this form of the invention the extensions are provided with three ofiset recesses adjacent the forward ends of the side walls indicated respectively by numerals 73,

3,359,606 Patented Dec. 26, 1967 74 and 75 and thus, when the keeper is completed, they define a horizontal slot in the front wall means indicated generally by numeral 76 which extends the full width of the base, the upper portion of this slot including two additional horizontal slots of successively diminishing widths indicated generally by numerals 77 and 78 for a purpose which will be explained later.

The catch is also formed from a single strip of flat sheet metal as shown in FIGURE 4, and comprises a pair of generally rectangular elongated latching portions 79 and 80, with transversely elongated substantially wider end portions 81 and 82, respectively. The portion 81, when folded at right angles about the dotted line k provides an attaching portion for one end of the bracelet while the portion 82, when folded about the dotted line 1, forms an actuating portion. The portion of the blank indicated by numeral 80 is bent back and over the portion 79 along the dotted line m. The width of the lower latching portion 79 is such that it will slide easily between the side walls of the keeper through the slot of 76, the height of this slot being just sufiicient to admit the single thickness of the portion 79. The upper latching portion 80 is of a width just sufiicient to 'be easily received within the intermediate slot 77. To facilitate entry of the catch into the keeper, the forward ends of the portions 79 may be cut oil? at 83 on a diagonal line.

The upper latching portion 80 is joined to the end portion 82 by a section of reduced width created by the provision of the marginal inwardly directed recesses 84, this section being of a width to be received in the slotted portion 78 of the keeper when the catch is fully inserted.

In one form of the catch, the actuating portion 82 is further subdivided by the transverse fold line n into a vertical portion 82a, spaced slightly forwardly of the attaching portion 81 (as seen in FIGURE 5) and a horizontal finger engaging portion 82b. Further, if desired, the portion 82 may have an additional extension 82c which may be bent downwardly behind the attaching portion as shown in FIGURE 5.

Still another modified form of keeper, made of a single sheet of strip metal, is shown in FIGURES 7-9. The flat strip is cut to provide a generally rectangular base portion 85 having upstanding side walls 86 joined to the base along parallel lines of bending 0. A front wall means in this case is provided by a transverse extension 87 joined to the forward end of the 'base by the transverse line of bending P, While the blank is slit at 88 to separate the front ends of the side walls from the extension 87. This permits the extension and the side walls to be bent upwardly as shown in FIGURES 8 and 9. The blank is also cut out to provide the horizontal slot to receive a catch similar to the one shown in FIGURES 4-6 and to provide a guide tongue 89. Since the front wall means is attached to the fiont end of the base, the lowermost portion 90 of the catch receiving slot is slightly narrower than the width of the base, and the lower latching portion 79 of the catch must be correspondingly narrower than in the case of the previously described keeper. The upper latching portion 80 of the catch is slidingly received in the intermediate portion 91 of the slot and, when the catch is fully inserted the recesses 84 permit the upper latching portion to snap up into the uppermost portion 92 of the slot and lock behind the front wall extension 87. One of the advantages of the keeper just described is that there is considerably less wastage of metal in the formation of the blank, as compared to the previously described form of keepers.

Having disclosed several forms in which the invention may be practiced, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various other modifications and improvements may be made which would come within the scope of the annexed claims.

I claim:

1. A'catch for a clasp, comprising an elongated strip of spring metal folded along a plurality of spaced parallel transverse bending lines, a medial portion of the strip having parallel side margins and being doubled upon itself along one of said bending lines to provide upper and lower latching portions having a width substantially equal to the lowermost slot in the front wall means of a keeper, the upper latching portion being shorter than the lower latching portion, both end portions of the strip extending upwardly from a respective latching portion along respective ones of said bending lines in side-by-side parallel relationship to provide an actuating portion and an attaching portion, both said last-mentioned portions terminating in horizontal upper margins, the upper margin of the actuating portion being normally disposed above the upper margin of the attaching portion, said upper latching portion having inwardly directed marginal recesses adjacent the actuating portion for locking the catch in place, said actuating portion including a second portion of metal at tached to the first mentioned actuating portion by a horizontal line of bending at the upper margin thereof, said second portion extending rearwardly in a horizontal direction.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein said second portion extends over the attaching portion and terminates in a vertical plane.

3. A catch for a clasp, comprising an elongated strip of spring metal folded along a plurality of spaced parallel transverse bending lines, a medial portion of the strip having parallel side margins and being doubled upon itself along one of said bending lines to provide upper and lower latching portions having a width substantially equal to the lowermost slot in the front wall means of a keeper, the upper latching portion being shorter than the lower latching portion, both end portions of the strip extending upwardly froma respective latching portion along respective ones of said bending lines in side-by-side parallel relationship to provide an actuating portion and an attaching portion both said last-mentioned portions terminating in horizontal upper margins, the upper margin of the actuating portion being normally disposed above the upper margin of the attaching portion, said upper latching portion having inwardly directed marginal recesses adjacent the actuating portion for locking the catch in place,,said upper latching portion being narrower than the lower latching portion.

4, The invention as defined in claim 3, wherein the forward corners of the lower latching portion are disposed along diagonal lines.

5. In a clasp for bracelets, comprising a keeper fabricated from a single blank of sheet metal and a catch fabricated from another single blank of sheet metal, said keeper having a flat base portion and a vertical front wall extending across the entire width of the base and provided with a horizontal slot to receive the catch, said slot having a lower portion and a upper portion of reduced Width compared to the lower portion, said catch comprising a horizontally disposed V-shaped flat spring portion, the apex of said spring being adapted to enter the lower portion of the keeper slot first, the legs of said spring having a width greater than the upper portion of the slot, one of said legs having a portion of reduced width spaced from the apex to be received within the upper portion of the slot to lock the catch in place, the free ends of said legs each terminating in an upwardly directed flat strip.

6. The invention as defined in claim 5, wherein said keeper includes parallel side walls spaced substantially the same distance apart as the width of the slot to guide the catch.

7. The invention as defined in claim 5, wherein said slot in the keeper includes an intermediate portion having a wider intermediate of the Widths of the upper and lower portions, and the respective legs of the catch have widths corresponding to the lower and intermediate portions of the slot.

8. The invention as defined in claim 7, wherein the apex of the flat spring is provided with diagonal corners to facilitate entry into the slot.

9. The invention as defined in claim 5, wherein the front wall is an extension of the base of the keeper and is joined thereto by a transverse line of bending, the lower portion of the slot being narrower than the width of the base.

10. In a clasp for bracelets, a keeper fabricated from a single flat strip of metal, said keeper having a fiat base portion and a transverse vertical front wall projecting upwardly from the base portion along a transverse line of bending, said front wall having a horizontal slot for a fiat spring catch means, said slot having a lower portion narrower than the front of the base portion and a upper portion of less width than the lower portion, said front wall extending entirely across the width of the upper portion of the slot, said catch means including a flat strip of spring metal doubled over to have a V-shaped cross-section in elevation, the major portion of said V-shaped portion being wider than the upper portion of said slot but slidably received within the lower portion of the slot, one of the doubled over portions of the strip having a portion of reduced width to be received in locking engagement in the upper portion of the slot, and means for actuating said catch to unlock it.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,170,778 2/1916 Nielsen 24230 1,472,192 10/1923 NOWak 2423O 1,599,016 9/1926 Johnson 24-230 2,634,593 4/ 1953 Moretti 24-230 BERNARD A. GELAK, Primary Examiner. 

1. A CATCH FOR A CLASP, COMPRISING AN ELONGATED STRIP OF SPRING METAL FOLDED ALONG A PLURALITY OF SPACED PARALLEL TRANSVERSE BENDING LINES, A MEDIAL PORTION OF THE STRIP HAVING PARALLEL SIDE MARGINS AND BEING DOUBLED UPON ITSELF ALONG ONE OF SAID BENDING LINES TO PROVIDE UPPER AND LOWER LATCHING PORTIONS HAVING A WIDTH SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE LOWERMOST SLOT IN THE FRONT WALL MEANS OF A KEEPER, THE UPPER LATCHING PORTION BEING SHORTER THAN THE LOWER LATCHING PORTION, BOTH END PORTION, OF THE STRIP EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM A RESPECTIVE LATCHING PORTION ALONG RESPECTIVE ONE OF SAID BENDING LINES IN SIDE-BY-SIDE PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP TO PROVIDE AN ACTUATING PORTION AND AN ATTACHING PORTION, BOTH SAID LAST-MENTIONED PORTIONS TERMINATING IN HORIZONTAL UPPER MARGINS, THE UPPER MARGIN OF THE ACTUATING PORTION BEING NORMALLY DISPOSED ABOVE THE UPPER MARGIN OF THE ATTACHING PORTION, SAID UPPER LATCHING PORTION HAVING INWARDLY DIRECTED MARGINAL RECESSES ADJACENT THE ACTUATING PORTION FOR LOCKING THE CATCH IN PLACE, SAID ACTUATING PORTION INCLUDING A SECOND PORTION OF METAL ATTACHED TO THE FIRST MENTIONED ACTUATING PORTION BY A HORIZONTAL LINE OF BENDING AT THE UPPER MARGIN THEREOF, SAID SECOND PORTION EXTENDING REARWARDLY IN A HORIZONTAL DIRECTION. 